Brian Williams became a top-trending topic on Twitter in the wee hours of Friday morning, but not for reasons he would appreciate.
“Somebody please put Brian Williams to bed. I can’t even,” said KCRW’s Steve Chiotakis.
Talk radio host John Ziegler added, “So after hrs of watching Brian Williams tonight the only thing I’m sure about is that Dallas is where Kennedy was assassinated & this sucks.”
“Sarah Mervosh of the Dallas Daily News,” says Brian Williams, referring to a paper that doesn’t exist.
— Forrest Wilder (@Forrest4Trees) July 8, 2016
“I forgot how corny and overwrought Brian Williams’ running commentary can be,” said the Hollywood Reporter’s Seth Abramovitch.
A series of deadly shootings in Dallas late Thursday evening, which claimed the lives of five police officers, saw Williams return to NBC for the third time since his suspension in February 2015.
The attacks, which were reportedly carried out by multiple shooters, took place shortly after an anti-police brutality demonstration had concluded.
Though Williams anchored from his now-regular perch at MSNBC, the feed was carried live on NBC’s main network.
His breaking coverage of the reportedly coordinated attacks started out simply enough, but soon went off the rails as he waxed poetic and launched into lengthy riffs on other violent moments in American history.
The death of President John F. Kennedy, he mused, was the “most violent” day for most Americans (he talked a lot about the Kennedy assassination in Dallas).
"Fog of war rules apply" –@BWilliams on @NBCNews #SpecialReport #DallasShooting pic.twitter.com/RBCJ5P0lSO— Andres Gutierrez (@AFGutierrez) July 8, 2016
Brian Williams has now made his third reference tonight to JFKs assassination in Dallas. Not sure why.
— Michael Barbaro (@mikiebarb) July 8, 2016
Williams also warned his viewers repeatedly that he was reporting through a “fog of war,” meaning details and facts were in short supply. Nevertheless, he still suggested the shooters, whose motives authorities have not yet made known, may have acted in retaliation to the recent deaths of unarmed black men at the hands of police officers.
Williams also used the term “end of days” in reference to the chaos in Dallas; he referred to the attacks on the police and their response as “urban warfare” and an “urban nightmare“; he called the situation a “national emergency“; he repeatedly deployed the term “urban kill zones”; and of course there was more Kennedy talk.
“It feels like we’re becoming unraveled,” he said somberly.
Social media users, including many who are in the press, were not impressed with his handling of the news.
“Wait Brian Williams is anchoring NBC? Has America not suffered enough,” asked Boing Boing’s Xeni Jardin.
CNN contributor Roland Martin added, “Can Brian Williams pleasing [sic] stop with the damn references to JFK’s assassination?! He’s driving me #%+=?]~ nuts!!!”
“When Brian Williams is anchoring, it’s time to change the channel,” quipped the Washington Post’s Joe Heim.
